


Scary World

by chasing_stars_and_cigarettes



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Character Death, Feels, Just angst, Major Character Injury, No Sex, No Slash, No Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-09-25
Packaged: 2018-04-20 11:10:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4785197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasing_stars_and_cigarettes/pseuds/chasing_stars_and_cigarettes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Spine recieves a letter leading to a situation in which he is stuck in a dilemma and he is forced to make one of the hardest descisions of his life. Rabbit or Hatchworth...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

‘The Spine,

I was at your show last night and I must say I am still impressed to this very day. I have attended quite a few shows and have enjoyed your music for quite some time now. Ghost Grinder has always been my personal favourite so I was over the moon when it was performed last night. Your sister has a lovely voice.

How rude of me! I’ve written a paragraph and haven’t even introduced myself. My name is Hersch Donoghue. Being a scientist, I have taken quite an interest in you, your brother and sister…Especially your brother, Hatchworth. He is quite an interesting character.

Anyway, the reason I am contacting you is to arrange a meeting with you. I have a ‘business proposal’ if you want to call it that. It would be great if you were to attend.

I didn’t want to sound desperate but it is quite important…

If you agree to this, meet me at the address written on the back of this page at 4.00 PM later today.

I really hope to see you present. Oh and I would appreciate it if you came alone…

Regards,

H. Donoghue’

The Spine had read the letter a couple of times now. He had read many letters in the past from fans of the band. But none of them were as weird as this letter. Everything was fine up until the ‘business proposal’ part. Something about it made the automaton feel uneasy. And there was something definitely threatening about the part which read ‘I would appreciate it if you came alone’. Why? What was waiting for him?

Not to mention the fact the man was a scientist. For all he knew, this stranger could have the darkest of intentions. The Spine shuddered at the thought of Rabbit or Hatchworth being harmed.

“W-w-whatchya got there, The Spine?” Rabbit surprised her brother as she bounced up to him. She smiled brightly as she usually did.

The Spine jumped in surprise as quickly hid the letter behind his back, “Rabbit! Don’t do that! You scared me!”

“Sorry. But whatchya got th-th-there, Spine?” She repeated trying to look behind his back.

The Spine kept backing away to prevent her from seeing the letter. He knew how Rabbit loved a bit of mystery. If she read the letter she’d only get curious and insist on getting involved. Even though it wasn’t clarified what the intentions of this Hersch Donoghue were, he wasn’t going to risk the safety of his sister.

“It’s nothing. Just a letter addressed to Steve,” he lied, “so you can’t read it.”

“But you were re-re-reading it just now!”

“I was only checking who it was for, Rabbit,” Spine rolled his eyes, “calm your energy.”

Rabbit looked a bit disappointed which obviously wasn’t fun to look at.

“But hey. How about you go grab Hatchy and have an ice cream adventure with him?” He suggested as he smiled encouragingly at her.

Rabbit’s face went from miserable to ecstatic and then straight to confusion in a second, “What about you? Will you-ou come too?”

“Oh I have some business to take care of,” he replied, “but maybe later.”

“Yay!” Rabbit exclaimed as she dashed away shouting for Hatchworth.

The Spine sighed with relief as he looked back to the letter. He read over it once more trying to brush away the uneasy feeling he kept getting. He flipped the letter around taking note of the address. He stood still for a few seconds thinking about the situation. Should he stay or should he go? This scientist’s intentions may not be threatening. Maybe even beneficial for the band. The Spine sighed as he realised the only to find out was to attend.

He pocketed the letter and made his way towards the foyer and towards the entrance. He quickly left before he could convince himself to turn back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Spine visits the sender of the letter...

The Spine was standing in front of a standard apartment block. People passed by not paying him any attention to him due his makeshift disguise. He turned the collar of his trench coat up and wore his trademark hat so his face was mostly hidden.

He looked to the letter and read the address again. It was the right place. The automaton approached the door and looked at the list of names on the panel to the side. He raised his metal finger to the button labelled ‘DONOGHUE’ but hesitated the press. He quickly looked behind him to see a few people looking at him strangely. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself. He quickly turned and pressed the button.

He gulped. He only waited a few seconds for a response. But it felt like a life time. What was he about to get himself into?

“Who is it?” A voice sounded from the speaker.

“I’m here to see Mr. Donoghue. I’m the Spine,” he spoke quietly.

There was another moment of silence before the voice spoke again, “Push the door open and come on in…”

When the door made a buzzing sound he pushed on it letting himself in. The inside was quite dusty. But that was the least of his worries. He took the elevator to the third floor and made his way to the fifth room. He breathed in before knocking on the door.

“Come in,” a voice sounded from inside.

The Spine turned the door handle and pushed it open slowly. He entered hesitantly whilst looking around the room. It looked more like an office than an apartment. There was a desk with bits of paper spread out on top of it and some books stacked. There was a chair behind the desk and sitting in the chair was a man who the Spine presumed was Mr. Donoghue. He was frail middle aged man with a roguish face and a ratty suit. His hair was messy and black. On top of his head were goggles.

“The Spine!” The man greeted as he arose from the chair. He gestured for the automaton to take a seat, “I’m surprised you decided to come.”

The Spine just nodded and smiled nervously as he sat down. Mr. Donoghue sat down again.

“I can imagine the surprise you felt whilst reading my letter. I must admit I’d feel a bit uneasy reading something like that. But forgive me; I’m not good at my wording!” He laughed. He reached out his hand, “I am Hersch Donoghue.”

The Spine grabbed his hand and shook it, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Oh, Mr. Donoghue will do just nice,” he smiled as he pulled his hand back, “I must say; Fan-tas-tic show last night!” He stressed the ‘fantastic.

“Thank you, Mr. Donoghue,” The Spine smiled. So far - so good. Although it did feel a bit patronising having to call him Mr. Donoghue.

“Like I said in my letter; Ghost Grinder has always been one of my favourites! Gives me goose bumps,” the man smirked, “But you’re not here to hear me ramble on. You probably want to get down to business. My friend, Tony, here will be joining us. Although he won’t be participating in the discussion.”

Mr. Donoghue gestured behind the Spine. The automaton turned around and saw a thuggish looking man standing in front of the door with his arms crossed. The Spine slowly turned back around. What was he getting himself into?

“I know he may seem intimidating but there’s really nothing to worry about,” Mr. Donoghue explained as the Spine met his gaze again.

“OK, so what did you want to discuss?” The Spine asked trying to smile.

Mr. Donoghue leaned forward resting his elbows on the table and joined his hand, “As I said in my letter; I am a scientist. I don’t mean to sound too proud but I am actually self-taught. Some things I’m still practicing out in my lab. My lab obviously isn’t in this apartment. No. It’s actually outside of the town. I don’t want anyone snooping around so I keep it away from curious eyes.

“Anyway...Hatchworth is an interesting robot! Quite a talented automaton if you ask me. I used to hear rumours that he can pull anything from that hatch of his. At first I didn’t believe it. But there was a night when Hatchworth, Rabbit and yourself decided to mingle in with the crowd. A drunken man heckled your poor brother about his hatch. He was convinced the hatch wasn’t what everyone was saying it was. But, he was wrong. Hatchworth openedit up and pulled out a sandwich!

“It was random but extraordinary!” Mr. Donoghue explained with fascination in his eyes. It was as if he was seeing the moment all over again.

“Yes, Hatchworth has the ability to take anything from that hatch of his.” The Spine smiled, “It’s amazing.”

“I couldn’t agree more. When I left that night, I immediately got to researching. I just couldn’t believe what I saw that night. I needed to know how it was done. And the more I researched the more I thought of the possibilities and all the things we could use something like that for.” He spoke with fascination.

“His hatch opens to a space-time rift in his blue matter core which we suspect leads to an alternate dimension. He once pulled a life ring from the Titanic out of it. We just don’t know exactly what his hatch is. But it is fascinating.” The Spine explained.

“Interesting. From my research I came to the same conclusion so we must be right,” Mr. Donoghue commented, “From that conclusion I tried to make my own ‘hatch’ if you want to call it that,” he paused to laugh, “but it failed. Nothing worked.”

The Spine watched as the scientist leaned back in his chair. The look he was giving him didn’t seem right. He felt the uneasiness slipping back, “So what did you do then, Mr. Donoghue?”

Mr. Donoghue breathed in and sighed heavily before answering, “This is where I go from good cop to bad cop. Just a little warning…”

The Spine swallowed hard.

“I want you to bring Hatchworth to me,” he replied simply.

“Is there something you want him to get from the hatch for you?” The Spine asked.

“No – no – no,” the scientist shook his head, “What I want is his hatch. Nothing else. Think about the things that could be pulled from it! Think about the success!”

“So basically you want to remove his hatch from his form and use it to become this big name who can pull anything from a hat basically?”

Mr. Donoghue looked at the automaton for a moment in silence before answering, “That’s exactly right.”

The Spine looked away. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard, “B-but Hatchworth…it’s part of his core…he’ll die without it…”

“Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. But think about it. Wars could be solved with this thing!” Mr. Donoghue smiled, “So, how about you bring Hatchworth to me tonight - -”

"Are you crazy? N-No! I'm not going to just hand Hatchworth over to you to be killed for your benefit!" The Spine exclaimed. The scientist sat in silence for a while. His face had turned cold.

"So it's no more Good Cop, I see," Donoghue’s facial expression changed, "Well if that's the case I guess you are going to have to obey my order now. I knew you’d be a bit hesitant so I had to think of something in order for you to change your mind."

"Well too bad. There’s no way you can make me change my mind."

"Oh but there is," He sneered. He began to grin wickedly as he stood up from his chair. He started to move away from his desk. "Your sister is quite an extraordinary robot. Intelligent, strong and quite adorable. It would be an awful shame for if someone were to harm pretty little Rabbit. Now, wouldn't you agree?"

"Leave her alone," The Spine sneered, "She has nothing to do with this..."

"I'll not even lay a finger on her...if you do as I wish..." Mr. Donoghue replied calmly.

“You can’t be serious. This is sick!” The Spine choked, “this is seriously sick! How can you think I’d be OK with this?”

“Oh don’t get me wrong. I knew you would react badly. That’s why I had to fit Rabbit into the situation. Tony here knows the way to Walter manner. All he has to do is drive down there, walk into the place –not that there isn’t anything stopping him with the lack of doors- go look for Rabbit and simply - -”

“STOP!” The Spine couldn’t bring himself to listen to what he was going to say, “All I’m going to ask is this. Is there any way I can change your mind about this. I’ll do anything. Please…just don’t hurt Hatchworth or Rabbit…”

Mr. Donoghue still smirked, “There is nothing you can do, Spine…” he paused, “I’ll provide you with another address. You are to bring Hatchworth there with you tonight at 10.00 PM. No one is to come with you. Tony will be keeping an eye on you I must add. If you do not follow any of my orders, your sister will face the consequences…Now, will you obey me?”

The Spine looked to the ground. A bit of oil slipped down his cheek as he cried a little. What was he to do? He had to choose. Hatchworth or Rabbit?

“Have you made your decision?”

The Spine wiped his cheek dry and looked up at the scientist, “I’ll bring Hatchworth tonight. Just don’t hurt Rabbit, please.”

Mr. Donoghue smiled wickedly, “I’m glad you’ve made the right decision.”

The scientist turned to his desk. Taking a piece of paper and a pen, he began to write an address. When he was finished, he handed the paper to The Spine. The automaton slowly stood and made his way towards the door, where Tony stood.

“Also, Spine,” the scientist sounded, “Don’t tell anyone…or I’ll kill you too…”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How can The Spine even cope with the thought of handing his brother over to be killed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Quick note from the author! I recommend listening to the song I link whilst reading this chapter. Helps you feel the feels more *cries*  
> Sixth Stop  
> Spirited Away OST  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwTqNNXNQnA

The Spine tried to keep his distance from his siblings for the rest of the day. He just couldn’t bring himself to look at them. The thought of them was already enough to kill him. The walk back home was truly a torture. He thought of Hatchworth. He thought of all the fun times he had with his brother. Thinking about the past wasn’t the best idea. But how could he think of anything else? He would soon lose his brothers to the hands of a sick scientist.

He really didn’t want to go through with the plan. But he also didn’t want to lose his sister. Rabbit – who would never hurt a fly, who made many faces smile, who brightened up any rainy day… The Spine felt oil drip down his face.

“Don’t forget; 10PM. The only person to come with you is the other robot.” Mr. Donoghue’s thug, Tony, had sneered at him as he left. He had also taken note on how Mr. Donoghue said Tony would be keeping a close eye on him. But how? They were in two different places.

When he arrived home, he thought of the possibilities of ways to get out of the situation. Every possibility he came up with though had a downside. And the more he thought, the more he felt broken.

Rabbit and Hatchworth had taken note of the Spine’s weird behaviour and tried their best to find out what was wrong. He simply answered questions with one word answers and would walk off.

A while after dinner, the Spine found himself in Steve’s workshop. Metal parts and tools scattered around the room.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today,” Steve noted as he quietly worked with some parts at his desk.

“It’s just been one of those days…” The Spine simply replied. He lay on a beaten up couch on the other side of the room.

“You get into a fight with Hatchy or Rabbit or something? You haven’t really said a word to them all day,” Steve noted.

“No, I’ve just been thinking a lot today,” The Spine replied looking at his feet which were propped up on the other end of the couch.

“About what?"

The Spine stared off for a moment thinking about his reply. Maybe…if he told Steve, he could help him in some way. But then again, the thought of Tony somehow keeping track of his every move made him shiver. He blinked before answering.

“If someone did something terrible, for the safety of others, what would you think?”

“Depends on what this terrible thing is…Like, if some guy murdered a burglar who was holding a family hostage I’d see him as a hero.”

The Spine sighed, “What if it was a situation in which you had to sacrifice one life for another? And the life you were sacrificing was going to be taken by someone with wrong intentions…”

Steve looked away from the metal and looked at the Spine, “Is there someone bothering you, Spine? Have you gotten yourself into some form of trouble or something?”

The Spine panicked as he looked back at Steve, “No – no – no! I…uh…read a story last night I found in the library. And a man had to sacrifice one of his best friends to keep his other best friend safe from harm…and it was quite sad to think about. And I guess I can’t stop thinking about it now…”

“Wow, that sounds crappy. You would think someone would’ve helped the poor guy,” Steve commented.

The Spine felt torn up inside. He wanted nothing more than to tell the truth. But if he did, Rabbit would be the one to pay the consequences. If anything happened to her, he would never be able to forgive himself. But then again, he always said the same thing about Hatchworth. And later that night, he was to hand him over to be killed.

“If I were you, I would go chill out with the others,” Steve suggested as he played with the metal, “I don’t mean to be rude but I’m kinda busy and I don’t wanna bore you.”

The Spine lay in silence for a minute before sitting up, “OK. I’ll go find them. Goodbye, Mr. Negrete.”

The Spine wandered the corridors of the manor. Only this time, he actually wouldn’t run from his siblings. Especially not Hatchworth. He didn’t want to just blank him before he was to be killed. After a while of walking around the manor, he found no trace of the other automatons. He decided to call out to his brother instead. After a minute of calling, The Spine heard someone running up behind him. As he turned, he was tackled to the ground.

“SURPRISE!” It was Hatchworth. He looked happy as ever. The Spine felt a stinging sensation from inside, “You called?”

The two stood up. The Spine patted the dust from his clothes as Hatchworth pulled a sandwich from his hatch. Even looking at the hatch made the guilt wash over him.

“Would you like a PB and J sandwich?” The cheerful bot exclaimed as his voice stressed on the wrong the words as they usually did.

“No, I’m fine,” The Spine replied putting on a fake smile, “I must tell you something though.”

“Ooh! What is it?!” Hatchworth exclaimed clapping his hands together.

“You have to be quiet though,” The Spine grabbed him by the shoulders, “Tonight I’m going to test my driving skills and…I was wondering if…you’d like to come with me…?”

“That would be swell, The Spine! I’ll tell Rabbit too - -”

“No!” The Spine’s grip on his shoulders tightened causing the other bot to freeze and stare in confusion, “uhhh…I just w-wanted to have a brothers night…no girls allowed.”

“Ohhh! I see,” he smirked as he started to whisper, “I’ll not tell her. It’ll be our secret!”

The Spine smiled. Only on the outside though. On the inside he was screaming at himself. He could feel the guilt wash over him, “That’s great. I appreciate it, Hatchy.”

“Well, I’m gonna go make some sandwiches for the badgers in the garden. See you later, The Spine,” Hatchworth hugged his brother for a while.

At first, he was hesitant to hug back. The guilt was way too much for his system to take. But to not cause suspicion he wrapped his arms around his brother and held back the oily tears that were to come.

“Later tater!” Hatchworth dashed off without saying another word.

The Spine watched him run for a moment before turning the other way. He slowly walked along the corridor for a while. And after a minute, he collapsed against the wall letting a cry of anguish escape his lips. He held his metal face in his hand as he sank to the floor sobbing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just...prepare for feels...

“So where are we going, friendo?” Hatchworth asked excitedly.

The Spine kept his eyes on the road but listened to his brother, “Oh you’ll see. It’s this really cool place I found!”

The Spine had memorized the address Mr. Donoghue had given him. He had actually passed the place a few times in the past. He had never paid it any heed of attention though.

“I’m surprised I got Rabbit to sleep! She was so energetic today! We can’t have her tagging along on our quality brother time, right?” Hatchworth laughed elbowing The Spine.

“Yep!” The Spine tried to smile.

“What are we gonna do at this place?” Hatchworth asked excitedly, “Is it haunted??!!”

The Spine didn’t respond for a bit. He thought about how his brother would react to the presence of Mr. Donoghue, “Kinda…”

“What’s wrong?” Hatchworth asked sounding concerned. The Spine quickly glanced at him.

“Nothing…why?”

“Someone’s being a Debbie downer,” Hatchworth teased.

“I’m just a bit tired,” The Spine lied.

“Well how about we do this tomorrow and you can go home and rest?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Once we get there I think I’ll snap back to reality.”

Hatchworth proceeded to tell The Spine about his adventure he had with Rabbit earlier in the day. They seemed to have a pretty good time. But the cheerful automaton had mentioned it wasn’t the same without the presence of his brother. He then reflected on some of the old times in which the three had gone on adventures. This only made The Spine feel worse. He briefly looked at his watch. It was 9.45PM. From his memory he recalled that they were 10 minutes away from the place. The metal man slowed down and stopped driving.

“Oh we’ve stopped,” Hatchworth stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Hatchworth,” The Spine began, “How would you feel if someone you were really close to betrayed you…for the safety of someone else?”

“Oh, The Spine,” Hatchworth pat his shoulder as he smiled, “Steve told me that you were feeling kinda down in dumps today, about something you read. Is it still getting to you?”

“How would you feel, Hatchworth?” The Spine ignored him as he pushed for an answer.

Hatchworth was silent for a while. He had looked away from his brother and just stared out at the road, “I would feel…like I helped the other person…you know? I don’t know how the person betrayed me…but at least I prevented any harm coming to the other person…”

The Spine refused to look at his brother, “Are you sure? What if you had to sacrifice your life for the safety of a friend?”

“I’d honestly feel the same way! I saved someone. I died a hero!” Hatchworth was now smiling again, “What about you, The Spine? How would you feel?”

The Spine looked at his brother and smiled a bit, “I’d feel the same I guess.”

“See? Don’t feel bad for that character from the book! He died a hero! You should feel happy for him!” Hatchworth beamed, “So are we close to the place??”

The Spine began to drive again, “Only a few more minutes, Hatchy.”

For the rest of the car journey, Hatchworth sang whilst staring out into the road whilst the Spine just drove and remained quiet. The closer the clock got to 10PM the more anxious he became.

“Hey! Is that it!?” Hatchworth’s voice sounded.

The Spine focused and looked to where the other automaton was pointing. There it was…just up ahead; an abandoned looking warehouse. It looked nothing like a lab. But then again, Mr. Donoghue didn’t want to draw attention.

The Spine felt the dread and guilt wash over him as he pulled in. Hatchworth on the other hand couldn’t contain his excitement. The silver automaton stopped the engine and glanced at his watch. 9.57PM. He was frozen for a minute. This was it. There was no turning back now.

“OK, The Spine, we got some good ole' ghostbusting to do!” Hatchworth clapped his hands together before getting out of the car. The Spine quickly followed.

“Hatchworth!” He addressed his brother before the bot could get to exploring. He approached Hatchworth and hugged him tightly, “Just in case something happens. It was nice working with you, partner.”

Hatchworth hugged him back, “Don’t worry. We can defeat any ghosts! And if you get too scared, I’ll protect you, The Spine!”

He pulled away and smiled. It killed him inside knowing that this happy-go-lucky robot, who had never done anything to bring harm or misery to anyone, was about to die and he felt helpless.

The Spine sighed, “Promise to stay behind me?”

“OK, friendo!” He chirped.

“I mean it, Hatchworth. Stay behind me.”

“You bet I will!”

The Spine nodded before slowly making his way towards the entrance. When they were inside, he felt the oil running through him turn cold. The inside of the warehouse contained a lot of machinery and devices. There were numerous tables and benches with bits of paper spread out everywhere. Pillars went from the ground to the really high ceiling making the Spine feel sick. But what made him feel immensely uneasy was Mr. Donoghue who was standing in the middle of the large room, surrounded by Tony and a few other thugs.

“The Spine! Hatchworth! I was waiting for your arrival!”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He makes me feel happy! Can we keep him forever, Spine?” She giggled.
> 
> The Spine rolled his eyes at his sisters bubbly behaviour. He smiled back to her, “Of course, Rabbit! He’s our brother now. We gotta take good care of him!”
> 
> She squealed as she jumped up and down, not letting the automaton go. She looked at him and whispered, “You’re gonna stay with us forever, Hatchy!”

_“Oh my gosh! The Spine, there’s a package here! It’s from Peter and the rest of the g-guys!” Rabbit shouted with glee, her crown of awesome dangling from her head. She had just gotten out of an arm restling match with her brother._

_The Spine admired the size of the ‘package’. It was human sized. Maybe even a bit taller. “What do you suppose it could be?”_

_“I don’t know b-b-but I really wanna find out,” Rabbit stuttered. She bounced up and down with excitement. The Spine smiled at her enthusiasm. She was always in high spirits._

_“Well,” he started as he looked the box up and down, “Let’s open it up and see!”_

_The two automatons got to work at tearing the tape from the cardboard. They couldn’t contain their excitement to see what was inside. I did take them quite a while to open it. Rabbit had found enjoyment in battling the Spine with a bit of cardboard. After a while of battling and unboxing, they finally found what was inside. It was another automaton._

_There was a ribbon around the automatons neck with a label attached. It read: “Hello! I’m Hatchworth!”_

_“Oh my gosh!” Rabbit squealed with excitement, “How do we activate him??!! She picked up the instruction booklet._

_The Spine took the book from her and threw it to the side, “No time for instructions, Rabbit! We can do this ourselves!”_

_The Spine proceeded to fill Hatchworth’s tank with water. Rabbit watched in awe and squealed with excitement._

_“OK, Rabbit,” The Spine smiled brightly, “Turn the ignition!”_

_Rabbit didn’t wait another minute. She reached around to the back of the automatons neck and began to twist the ignition. After a few seconds of twisting, the automaton jolted a bit. But he didn’t awaken._

_“What’s wrong w-w-with him?” Rabbit stuttered with worry. Out of curiousty, she knocked on the hatch on the automaton's chest expecting a knock back._

_“I don’t know,” The Spine replied as he fetched the instructions. He read over them for a while before coming across something, “Oh! Apparently he needs to be recharged first.”_

_“Awww,” Rabbit whined, “But I wanted to show him around!”_

_“Well the sooner we get home recharged, the sooner we can do that,” The Spine tried to sound cheerful._

_Rabbit looked at the new automaton. The more she looked at him the more she felt happy. She dropped the disappointed face and smiled brightly instead. She threw her arms around the new bot._

_“He makes me feel happy! Can we keep him forever, Spine?” She giggled._

_The Spine rolled his eyes at his sisters bubbly behaviour. He smiled back to her, “Of course, Rabbit! He’s our brother now. We gotta take good care of him!”_

_She squealed as she jumped up and down, not letting the automaton go. She looked at him and whispered, “You’re gonna stay with us forever, Hatchy!”_

 

“The Spine,” Hatchworth addressed his brother, “You know this man?”

The Spine froze. What was he supposed to say?

“Forgive me for being so rude as to not introducing myself,” the scientist spoke instead, “My name is Hersch Donoghue. You may only call me Mr. Donoghue though. I have been a friend of the Spine for quite a while now.”

“Really?” Hatchworth beamed. He nudged the Spine and smirked, “Kept your friend a secret from us, huh, Spine? What other secrets are you hiding from us?”

“I…u-uh…” The Spine didn’t know what to say.

“Oh, blame me for that Hatchworth,” Mr. Donoghue answered, “I didn’t want anyone else to know about this lab of mine and I told the Spine to remain silent.”

“Oh!” Hatchworth exclaimed.

“But he has spoken quite highly of you and your sister! And I just had to insist on meeting you. You automatons’ seem like you would be good company!” the scientist lied.

“Darn it! We should’ve brought Rabbit!” Hatchworth cursed himself.

“Actually, Hatchy,” The Spine finally spoke, “I informed Mr. Donoghue about the whole ‘no girls allowed’ thing. So he understands why it’s just us.”

“Exactly,” Mr. Donoghue sneered and lightly chuckled. The Spine took note of this and looked at him with confusion.

“That explains why all your friends here,” Hatchworth pointed at them whilst he smiled brightly, “I must admit; when I came in and saw them I felt a bit intimidated. But now I understand!”

“Of course! Now why are we just standing around here? Come closer, boys. I’ll show you what my machines do!” Mr. Donoghue grinned. The men around him began to chuckle quietly which Hatchworth seemed oblivious to.

“Heck yeah! I thought we were gonna be ghostbusting,” Hatchworth stated as he began to walk closer to the scientist and his men. The Spine felt his electric insides churn, “The Spine told me this place was haunted. But don’t get me wrong! I like it here! So much room for activities!”

The Spine stood still. His eyes went wide. He watched his happy-go-lucky brother move forward.

_“He makes me feel happy! Can we keep him forever, Spine?”_

The Spine felt his oil run cold.

_“Of course, Rabbit! He’s our brother now. We gotta take good care of him!”_

“I’m glad you like it here too, Hatchworth,” Mr. Donoghue faked smiled.

_“You’re gonna stay with us forever, Hatchy!”_

“STOP!”

Everyone froze. They slowly turned and looked at the Spine. The silver automaton’s hands which hung at his sides had now formed into fists. He was shaking. His face was like fire.

“Hatchworth, get behind me!” He commanded sternly.

“Wh-what, why?” Hatchworth seemed a bit shaken at his brother’s sudden outburst.

“The Spine…what are you doing,” Mr. Donoghue grit his teeth at the automaton. He began to sweat.

“Hatchworth, get behind me, NOW!” The Spine ignored the scientist.

The now startled robot moved away from the scientist and stood behind his brother, “The Spine, what’s going on?”

The Spine didn't say another word. Instead he quickly turned to Hatchworth. The smaller bot was confused when his hatch was opened. The Spine reached in and pulled something from it. He turned to face Mr. Donoghue and his men, pointing revolver in their direction.

“I can’t do this. I can’t. This is just sick!” The Spine shouted. His hand which held the gun trembled. But he still stood strong.

“What are you playing at?” The scientist sneered. His face was furious.

“I’m not letting you take him. Just let us go free. I’ll even let you live.” The Spine trembled.

The scientist was silent for a moment. He stared at the Spine with a cold look. His teeth gritted together and his hands had balled into fists. The Spine slowly backed away as he still held the gun up.

“Oh, Spine…you shouldn’t have done this…” the scientist sneered. His expression had now changed. He was grinning evilly now, “You should have just followed my orders. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this.”

The Spine’s eyes widened, “Wh-what? Do what?”

Mr. Donoghue grinned. He raised a hand and clicked his fingers. At first the Spine was confused. But then his face contorted to a look of horror. One of the thugs walked out from behind one of the pillars. 

And struggling in the thug's grasp was Rabbit.

The Spine lowered the gun stepping forward slightly as he felt the need to collapse. He felt his eyes fill with oil. The thug had his hand clamped over the automatons mouth and his arm around her waist to stop her from running. She still thrashed though in an attempt to escape. The Spine shuddered in horror.

“You should’ve just listened to me, Spine,” Mr. Donoghue sneered whilst grinning sadistically.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who will The Spine choose? Rabbit or Hatchworth?

“You told me you wouldn’t hurt her,” The Spine spat, “I followed your orders!”

“I haven’t even laid a finger on her. Neither have any of my men,” Mr. Donoghue sneered, “But I can change that.”

“She did put up a bit of a fight, boss,” the thug holding her sneered, “So did the engineer. But he was easily taken care of.”

“Why do you want to hurt Rabbit? What did you do with Mr. Negrete?” Hatchworth asked with a worried tone, “What is going on?”

“Oh, Spiney boy, how about you tell your poor brother,” Mr. Donoghue teased as he snapped his fingers looking around at one of his men. The thug walked away.

“P-please…” he started, “don’t make me- -”

“I recommend you obey my orders,” he sneered.

The Spine froze and stared at the crazed scientist with wide eyes. How could someone be this cruel? What had he done to deserve this torture.

“The Spine?” Hatchworth addressed him looking for an answer.

The silver automaton slowly turned to face his brother but refused to look at him. He sighed before answering, “He wants your Hatch. I had to bring you here so he can remove it. If I didn’t bring you he would hurt Rabbit.”

Hatchworth was still. He just stared at his brother with wide eyes and a horrified expression. Even Rabbit had stopped struggling. She just stared at her brothers. Her eyes filled up with oil.

“That’s right, Hatchy. Your brother has handed you over to die,” Mr. Donoghue teased. The thug had returned with a cart carrying a few devices. Mr. Donoghue picked up a cordless drill admiring it, “So I recommend you make this  
easy.”

“B-but…I don’t w-w-want to die,” Hatchworth’s voice cracked.

Mr. Donoghue rolled his eyes again and looked around at the thug holding Rabbit, “Give her to me.”

The thug chuckled and he threw Rabbit forwards into the arms Mr. Donoghue.

“Let her go!” The Spine shouted stepping forward.

“Make your brother obey me or I’ll puncture a whole through her core with this and she'll die,” Mr. Donoghue commanded as he positioned the drill over Rabbit’s chest plate. She shuddered in his grip.

“No!” The Spine shouted as he raised the gun again, “I’m not doing this! Let Rabbit and Hatchworth go! Just kill me instead!”

Mr. Donoghue activated the drill causing Rabbit to screech, “I will do it, Spine!”

“Please, don’t do this!” The Spine shouted letting oil drip down his cheeks. His hand trembled as he continued to point the gun at them.

“Get your useless brother over here now!” Mr. Donoghue spat.

“ALRIGHT!” Hatchworth roared. Everyone went quiet as they looked around at the automaton, “The Spine…I choose to sacrifice myself.”

“Hatchworth…no…you can’t,” The Spine grabbed him by the shoulders.

“The Spine…brother,” Hatchworth spoke more quietly now, “What we spoke about in the car…I understand now. I know you must feel like the most awful automaton in the world right now. But think about what I said to you. If I sacrificed myself for the good of others, I’d feel like I died a hero. That's what I want to do. I want to die knowing I saved you and Rabbit.”

The Spine sobbed as he listened to his brother speak the same wise words he spoke earlier in the night.

“I want both of you to be safe,” he smiled. He then enveloped the Spine in a tight embrace. The Spine collapsed against him as he sobbed. All of the memories came flooding into his mind as he cried. All of the fun times they had spent together; the adventures, the shows, the parties. They were never to be had again.

Hatchworth pulled away and looked at his brother strongly, “Here I go, Friendo.” The robot turned and began to walk towards the scientist.

“I’m handing myself over,” Hatchworth spoke bravely, “let Rabbit go.”

Mr. Donoghue smiled as he shoved Rabbit away. She immediately grabbed Hatchworth in a tight embrace and began to cry causing him to stop moving.

“H-H-H-Hatchy…” she choked, “D-D-D-Don’t do this…we c-c-can fight him…”

Hatchworth hugged her back and sighed, “You’ll be fine without me, Rabbit. I can be easily replaced with another.”

“N-n-n-n-no! We’ll never find anyone l-ike-ike-ike you, H-Hatchy!” Her arms tightened around him.

“I just want you both to be safe, Rabbit,” Hatchworth pulled away. He moved past her.

She quickly turned around and grabbed his arms. She tried to pull him back, “NO! WE PRO-PRO-PROMISED TO TAKE CARE OF YOU!”

The Spine approached the two and grabbed Rabbit. She wailed and struggled as he pulled her away. He pulled her into a tight embrace facing her away from the situation. After a while of hitting her brother over and over she finally gave in and cried into his chest.

Hatchworth looked at his beloved siblings and let an oily tear slide down his cheek, “The Spine. Rabbit. Thank you for making my life amazing.”

He turned to look at Mr. Donoghue. His face was stern, “Go on then. Get it over with.”


	7. Chapter 7

Rabbit squeezed her eyes shut as she wept against the Spine’s chest. The silver automaton held her tight in case she made an attempt to look around.

“Oh, Hatchworth, such an act of bravery!” Mr. Donoghue sneered, “I must admit; You have made the right decision. I really didn’t want to hurt your pretty little sister. That would have been such a waste of precious metal…”

Rabbit shuddered. The lust in his voice was enough to turn ones stomach.

“I said…” Hatchworth started. His face was now full of rage as he gritted his teeth, “Get. It. Over with.”

Mr. Donoghue was almost taken aback by the robots new behaviour. He could’ve sworn he saw the automatons eyes turn red. He quickly looked at the tools beside him and picked up a chisel.

“Alright, Hatchy boy,” he let a smirk crawl back onto his face, “Let us begin then.”

The men surrounding Mr. Donoghue silently chuckled as they meshed their hands together in anticipation. The Spine squeezed Rabbit as he heard her whimper into his chest as he felt the oil pour down his cold cheeks.

Hatchworth took a step towards the cruel man still wearing a fiery expression. He stood tall in front of the scientist. He didn’t even show a sign of panic. Not even as Mr. Donoghue’s brutes grabbed his arms holding him in place.

Mr. Donoghue lifted the chisel to the automaton’s hatch. He could feel Hatchworth’s eyes burning into him. It made him feel uneasy. Before he started the removal he leant a bit closer to Hatchworth in an attempt to make him feel uneasy also, “Goodnight…Hatchy.”

_CLINK!_

Mr. Donoghue looked down at the ground as a small cylinder shaped object rolled up to him. He stared at the object for a few seconds before his eyes went wide with realisation.

“Is that a- -”

_BANG!_

The scientist flinched as the object exploded. He tried to breathe but only inhaled a smokey substance which clogged his lungs. He could hear others around him choking.

“A smoke grenade??” He choked up. He could just about see the two men standing in front of him. However...

Hatchworth was gone. His eyes widened. He grabbed one of the men by his collar and brought him to eye level, “You idiots!” He let go and gave the other man the same treatment, “you let him go!”

“Such a shame,” A familiar voice sounded, “isn’t it, Hersch Donoghue…?”

Mr. Donoghue slowly turned towards the source of the voice. Emerging from the smoke was Peter Walter VI. The scientist gritted his teeth at the sight of the man with the keyhole mask.

“Peter Walter VI…” he sneered.

Steve had also stepped out from the smoke. He looked quite beaten up. But he still smirked triumphantly. Mr. Donoghue’s eyes grew wide and his face turned red. He looked at the man who had supposedly taken care of the engineer. The brute shrunk a bit.

"Peter," The Spine sounded, "You know this psycho?"

"Of course," Peter raised an eyebrow, "In the world of science you do hear quite a few interesting stories about others practicing in the area. Apparently, this isn't the first time he's done something like this."

The Spine's eyes widened.

“Tsk - Tsk, Mr. Donoghue. You're plan wasn't a smart one.” Peter teased, “I would’ve found out about this sooner or later. I’m just surprised you let your brute waltz on into my family home, beat one of my workers to a pulp and take one of my automatons thinking I wouldn’t even find out. Steve filled me in on what happened when I found him. I then found a note which had an address and time written on it. The address obviously lead to here.”

The Spine, who still stood beside Rabbit, patted down his pockets. He must’ve dropped the note when he returned home.

“Did your plan go wrong? Did you mess up?” Peter teased.

Mr. Donoghue smirked, “Actually…no I didn’t.”

He snapped his fingers. One of the brutes launched himself at Peter with his fists raised. Luckily he avoided the blow.

“Get them all, men! But leave Walter to me!” Mr. Donoghue commanded as he picked up a rod from the table of tools. He began to whip it in the direction of Peter. Whilst dodging, the masked man looked around him for something to use. He scanned the area and, luckily, saw Hatchworth.

“Hatchy!” He shouted, “a bit of help, friend?”

“My pleasure,” the automaton smiled as he opened his hatch. He reached in pulling out an object for Peter to use against Mr. Donoghue. “TADA!” He shouted as he raised a sword fish in the air proudly. He blushed as he realised his error. He quickly put the fish back into his hatch and reached further in, “OK, that was bad.” He grabbed something and pulled it out. It was a sword. He smiled with triumph as he threw it to Peter who caught it with a skilled hand.

“How is this fair?? I have a rod! You have a sword!” Mr. Donoghue complained.

“I think it is a bit fair to be honest. You have put my family through so much tonight,” he rebuked, "you deserve what you get."

With this Mr. Donoghue let out a growl of hatred as he swept the rod in Peter’s direction who dodged the attack with his sword thus beginning their duel.


	8. Chapter 8

Hatchworth watched as Peter and Mr. Donoghue began their duel. The crazed scientist started to sweat a river as he realised he was no match for the sword wielding Peter. Hatchworth cheered before he felt a hand slap down onto his shoulder and spin him around. There was Tony, the thug that had met The Spine first. He was holding the chisel.

“Oh boy,” Hatchworth eyed the object. He dodged as Tony swung at him, “Why did I put that sword fish away?”

The thug continued to swipe the chisel in Hatchworth’s direction who ducked and dodged the attacks at all costs. He quickly opened his hatch and reached in throwing whatever he could grab first at the thug.

“Take this!” He exclaimed as he threw a brick at the thug. The heavy object hit Tony in the head and he fell to the ground. He stopped moving as blood poured from his head, “Oh my...I’ve just killed a man…”

Hatchworth grabbed his face in shock. He had just killed a man. He slowly looked around and was brought out of his trance when he saw another brute charging at him. He reacted quickly and punched the man in the Adams apple. He fell to the ground and choked.

After a few seconds Hatchworth smiled, “I like it…this violent stuff…”

He laughed as he pulled a machete from his hatch and brought it down into the choking thugs back. He then smirked as he went off to hunt the other thugs.

Rabbit threw punches and kicks at each brute that swung at her. There were about three of them but she could handle it. As she swung her fist around to hit a brute she felt her wrist snap back as her saw launched out of it and began to spin. This startled the brutes. They backed away staring at the weapon with fear.

“Yeah! Th-th-th-that’s right! Get back!” She taunted them. She smiled as she watched two run from the warehouse shouting profanities. She looked at the remaining brute, “a-a-aren’t you gonna run too??”

She winced as a hand gripped her saw bearing wrist from behind. The hand brought the whirring saw close to her metal neck and an arm wrapped around her waist.

“Don’t try anything, Miss. Scrap metal,” a voice growled.

Rabbit rolled her eyes as she realised it was the brute who had taken her from the manor earlier, “Not you again.”

“I’m gonna take care of you and your other robot friends,” he laughed menacingly. Rabbit struggled away from the blade before being knocked over. She lay flat on the ground before sitting up to look around and comprehend what had happened. The thug had rolled away from her and laid on his back staring up at the ceiling. The Spine was leaning on his chest.

“I recommend you run,” The Spine growled at him, “I don’t want to get my weapons out.”

The thug shoved the Spine off of him and quickly stood making a beeline for the exit. Unfortunately he ran into Rabbit’s fist. His eyes crossed as he fell back to floor.

“Also,” she started as she bent down to look at him, “You should treat a lady with a bit more respect next time.”

With that the brute fell unconscious.

Rabbit stood tall again and dusted her hands in a sassy manner, “At least that’s been taken care- -”

“YAAAAAA!” Hatch roared as charged in their direction and brought the machete down into the thugs chest.

Rabbit and The Spine just looked at their brother with bewildered faces as he pulled the blade out. The automaton turned to look at the two and smiled happily, “This is fun!"

The Spine approached his brother and sister, “Rabbit, Hatchworth, I am so sorry for all of this.”

“Apologize-ize later,” Rabbit replied as kicked a brute that charged at them, “we’re kinda busy ri-ri-right now, dummins.”

Meanwhile, Steve was also fighting off a brute. He was doing quite well at dodging any attacks until he realised he was cornered. He felt his back hit a tall crate.

“Looks like your doomed now, small fry,” he sneered. He plummeted his fist into Steve’s stomach winding him. The engineer gasped in pain as he collapsed to his knees. He held his stomach as he felt the need to pass out.

“Get up! Fight me!” The brute taunted him.

Steve gritted his teeth together as he struggled to get up again. He put his hand against the crate as a support. He looked at the thug and allowed his gritted teeth to turn into a psychotic grin.

“You gonna cry, small fry?” the brute taunted again as he took a step towards the engineer.

“In the words of a great Game of Thrones character; Now you’ve woken the dragon…” Steve growled at the thug.

The brute stopped moving and his expression changed to one of confusion, “Actually he wasn’t a great character at all.”

Steve rolled his eyes before taking in a deep breath of air as he arched his back. The thug’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

Steve jolted forward opening his mouth as if he was letting all of the collected air out. But instead of air, fire projected out instead. Before he could react the thug was engulfed in flames. When Steve pulled back, he admired his damage. The thug just stood there now covered in black ash. His eyes slowly opened and they latched onto the engineer who smirked. The brute scurried off to avoid any further attacks.

Meanwhile, Peter and Mr. Donoghue had duelled their way along the machines in the warehouse. The crazed scientist had growled and made faces at Peter a few times as a way to intimidate him. Peter didn’t lose focus though. He continued to swipe the sword in his direction.

Mr. Donoghue quickly looked behind him as he felt his heel fall a bit. Behind him was a drop into a large tank of acid. He looked back at Peter and swept once more. When Peter’s sword clashed with his rod it was knocked from his hand. Mr. Donoghue panicked now. Behind him was certain death.

“P-please, let me go,” he begged, “I’ll leave you and your family alone.”

Peter raised his sword and pointed it in Mr. Donoghue’s direction, “What makes you think I can believe you. You tried this business with Becile too. Don’t think I didn’t hear about that. We may be opposing industries. But I still hear things. You confessed you wouldn’t do this again which was obviously - -”

“Please! I am s-s-so close to falling off this th-thing!” Mr. Donoghue choked hysterically. He was close to crying, “I don’t want to go in!! Please! I’ll stop! I swear. I’m sorry! I’m sorry bothering The Spine. I-I-I’m sorry for kidnapping Rabbit! I-I-I’m sorry for trying to hurt Hatchworth. Just please…let me l-l-live…”

Peter watched cautiously as he panicked. He slowly lowered the sword and stood to the side, “You can take your remaining men and yourself and leave the town. If I see you again I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

Mr. Donoghue sighed with relief as he stepped forward. He collected himself before he started to walk away. He stopped when he stood beside Peter, “I thank you this one time, Mr. Walter. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about this.”

“I won’t say a word,” he looked away and down to his family. They were fighting the last two brutes, “But they might. They may let it slip. So I would- -”

Peter was cut off as Mr. Donoghue snatched the sword from his hand and threw it into the tank. He was then pushed over. He gasped in pain he hit the metal. He turned his head and saw the acid. Mr. Donoghue was leaning on his chest and smiling menacingly at him.

“Oh, Walter,” he teased, “You’re so naïve. And you know what else? You’re going into that tank.”

He laughed loudly and menacingly. Peter gulped as he looked around for a solution. He panicked when he found there was nothing he could do. The evil laugh wasn’t helping either.

But then. It stopped. The laughing ceased abruptly. Mr. Donoghue’s face twisted to pained expression. Standing behind the man was Hatchworth with his machete sticking in the scientists back.

“Leave Peter alone!” He shouted as he pulled the machete out and shoved him forward.

Mr. Donoghue yelled out as he felt himself fall into the tank. When his body hit the liquid there was a sickly dissolving sound. The scientist submerged from under the acid and started to scream in pain. The heat of the liquid burned his skin.

“H-H-H-H-HELP ME!” He shouted as he watched his hands burn away.

Peter watched in horror whilst Hatchworth smiled triumphantly.

Rabbit, The Spine, Steve and the two brutes had been watching the scene. They couldn’t see what was happening at all but they knew rightly. After a while the yelling stopped leaving an eerie silence.

Peter and Hatchworth turned to look at the others. He glanced coldly at the brutes, “Get out of this town. And don’t return. I assume you don’t want to end up like your boss.”

The brutes panicked and ran for the exit.

“That’s what I thought…” Peter muttered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter! It's been fun to write this :D Thanks for reading guys!

The automatons and humans had made their way outside of the warehouse to find the car had vanished. Peter cursed and threw his hands to the high heavens, “Those goddamn thugs must’ve taken it!”

“How are we gonna get back to the manor now?” Steve asked also looking infurtiated.

“We have no choice but to walk,” Peter groaned as he made his way toward the road.

“Wait! Before we start walking I wanna say something,” The Spine sounded catching the attention of the others, “I am so sorry for the events of this night. If I could- -”

He was cut off as Rabbit slapped him across his metal face. He looked at her with a puzzled expression, “Th-th-that’s for not telling us what was going on!”

“R-Rabbit…I’m sorry,” he stuttered as he rubbed his face. Before he continued he was interrupted again as she hugged him.

“You shoulda’ told us, the Spine,” she squeezed him, “we’re your family! We c-coulda’ helped you.”

“She’s right!” Hatchworth approached him, “We all could’ve stopped him before anything bad could happen.”

The Spine pulled away from his sister and looked at the smaller automaton, “Hatchworth…I’m so sorry. I nearly handed you over to be killed tonight. Can you ever forgive me?”

“Are you kidding? I actually found tonight quite adventurous! Of course I forgive you,” Hatchworth grabbed him in a bear hug lifting him slightly from the ground. Rabbit approached her siblings and hugged them also.

“The Spine,” Peter approached the automatons causing them to pull away, “I always thought you were the wise one. I thought you’d be smart enough to tell me about this.”

“I’m sorry Petes’,” The Spine hung his head.

“It’s OK. It’s over and done with now,” Peter said, “Just next time tell us. I may not show it but I do worry about you three. You’re all so adventurous it actually scares me sometimes. I don’t think good old Peter Walter I would appreciate it if anything happened to you three.”

The Spine smiled a bit as Peter put his hands on his shoulders. The masked man laughed a bit, “You robots will be the death of me. Come on. Let’s get walking.”

The humans and automatons started to make their way towards the road.

“Ugh, Rabbit?” Steve walked beside the female automaton, “I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop that guy from taking you back at the manor. It wasn’t very heroic of me.”

“Oh, Mr. Negrete,” Rabbit laughed, “Sh-sh-shuddup, yah dummins. You at least put up a fight to help me. I really appreciate it. At least you know how to treat a lady with respect.”

She wrapped her arms around the engineer bringing him into a hug as they walked causing him to blush slightly.

The Spine smiled at his sister’s behaviour. It was if nothing had happened. He winced as he felt someone punch him in the arm.

“Hey, friendo,” Hatchworth smirked, “I may not have died a hero tonight but I seem to have lived a killer.”

He spoke with such joy in his voice. The Spine couldn’t help but laugh, “You might want to leave your killer persona behind, Hatchy. We don’t want to get into any trouble.”

“If you say so, The Spine,” he skipped.

The group walked down the road and talked about many things as they watched the stars in the night sky. It may have been a horrific night. But it was a night they were to remember for a very long time.


End file.
